


This is My Choice

by Rahenna



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: College, Disapproving Family, Engagement, F/M, Friendship, Future Fic, Near Future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-26
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-03-09 04:41:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3236591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rahenna/pseuds/Rahenna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Osaka Naru is sick and tired of her family and friends implying that she "settled" for Umino. Only one friend seems to get it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This is My Choice

I did _not_ settle.

And I’m getting incredibly sick of all my so-called friends who keep implying that I have.

_Oh, Naru, you have so many opportunities to meet guys in college, you’re majoring in business, aren’t you? Business school is mostly men, isn’t it?_

Yes. Yes, it is, but that didn’t matter to me because I wasn’t looking. I was there to learn, to develop the skills I’d need to help my mother manage and maybe even expand her business, so that I’d be a worthy heir to her popular and successful shop. I wasn’t shopping around for a boyfriend, though I could tell that some of the other women in my classes were more interested in learning how to select mates, rather than learning how to select employees.

And that was fine. If that’s what they wanted to do, and if they thought it was worth the cost of university tuition, that was their decision. In fact, I’d become rather close to two of the other girls in my class, and we soon became known as _The Three Business Beauties_ by some of our classmates. It was fine as long as we were focused on our studies, or if we were hanging out at a cafe or shopping together, but once the topic of conversation turned to guys, things always got a bit awkward for me.

_Naru, I can’t believe you’re still in a long distance relationship with that guy you knew way back in middle school! Don’t you think you should test the waters a little more? You don’t want to be tied down to someone you met when you were just a kid, after all._

To be fair, Yuri had a point. I’d known Umino for a long time, and because we’d been dating since middle school, I was sure my perceptions were different from those of girls who’d experimented a lot. I’ll even admit that there were times that I felt, briefly, that maybe I was missing out on something better. But then I’d remember something sweet that Umino had done for me, falling all over himself in his usual overly enthusiastic way. I couldn’t resist his sincere kindness, his genuine desire to make me happy and to do his best in everything.

It didn’t matter that he wasn’t the most handsome man on the planet, or that his family wasn’t wealthy and powerful. No one could control the family they were born into, and while I had to admit that other guys were more attractive, Umino was cute in his own way, especially on the rare occasions when he’d wear contacts. They bothered his eyes so much, but he’d do it for me, if we were headed out for a special event or dinner.

He was always doing things like that. Making sacrifices for me, or trying things that would normally be outside his comfort zone… Umino didn’t hesitate to try new things, if he thought I might enjoy them. We didn’t argue about petty things like where to go on the weekends or what type of restaurant to visit. All those little arguments that my friends talked about having, their boyfriends who wanted to go to the bar instead of out to eat, or who thought it was boring to save some money and cook at home, or who resisted spending time together - why would you date someone if you didn’t want to spend time together?

But with Umino, it wasn’t like that. We each gave into the other’s wishes at times, or we just liked the same things anyway. We were compatible. We were happy.

So why were my friends pressuring me to dump him for someone else, just for the sake of having someone more handsome or just new and exciting?

_Because you deserve someone like that! You’re so smart and so pretty, and from a good family, there’s lots of guys who are a great match for you!_

There’s just _one_ guy who’s a great match for me.

_Let me introduce you to my brother’s best friend! He’s super hot and he’ll be graduating with his MBA this year! His parents are going to buy him a nice car as a graduation present, imagine going for a ride in his shiny red convertible--_

I’d stopped listening at that point. I liked my friends, but sometimes I wondered what they really wanted out of life. They studied hard and got good grades like me, but sometimes I felt like they were on a completely different planet. I think I was the weird one.

It was the same when I went home for weekends or school vacations. I was still friends with Yumiko and Kuri, though they were attending a different university and we’d kind of grown apart because of it. They were often busy with their own boyfriends, but every once in a while we’d all go out as a group, and I could tell that they still weren’t comfortable with Umino, even though we’d been together for so long. He did love bad puns and sensational news stories, that was true, but he’d calmed down a lot since our middle school days. Most of the time, he just talked about his engineering internships or the different things he was studying in university. Maybe it was a little boring if you weren’t interested in hydraulics or whatever, but his enthusiasm was genuine and he explained it well. That was enough to hold my interest, anyway.

_Naru, I know he’s really smart and he’ll definitely land a great job right out of college, but… are you really going to be satisfied with just that?_

I hadn’t talked to Yumiko since the day I blew up at her for saying things like that. And Kuri had grown cool as well, siding with her best friend. Well, it couldn’t be helped.

Even my mother kept dropping hints of disapproval. Her worries, at least, seemed more like genuine concern than a willful misunderstanding of Umino’s worth, but it still annoyed me.

_He spends a lot of time studying, is he paying enough attention to you?_

_Have you talked to him about the possibility of getting eye surgery? He’s so handsome without his glasses. I know you love how he looks without his glasses._

_You always seem to go out to the same three or four places. Is that enough variety for you, dear? I don’t want you to get stuck in a rut. Maybe you should take a little break from each other, that would give you both time to explore other relationships. You’ve been together since you were kids._

And worst of all, _you’re engaged? Are you sure about this, Naru? I mean… of course it’s your decision, and I’ll support you all the way…_

Ugh. Why did I have to hear that sort of nonsense all the time? It didn’t matter that everyone was concerned for me, or looking out for me, or whatever excuse they used to paper over their rude comments. They were insulting my boyfriend, and hurting me.

And yet, I was _being unreasonable_ if I got snappy with them.

~~~

I sighed and sank back into my chair. As usual, Usagi was late. It was a warm spring weekend, and the weather was surprisingly nice, without a hint of the clouds that darkened the sky during most of the rainy season. I didn’t mind waiting outside at a little table at our favorite cafe. Crown had expanded in recent years and added an outdoor balcony with a handful of tables, which had quickly become a popular spot for dates. I had to keep defending the empty seat at my small table from other parties who kept trying to steal it so they could squeeze in one more friend. With how late Usagi was, I was sure some of them thought I was just being a jerk.

Just as the girl squatting near the next table over stood up again, clearly intending to try and claim Usagi’s chair again, the balcony door banged open. “Naru, I’m _so_ sorry!”

Usagi dashed over, nearly tripping over herself in her haste to get to the table, and half-sat, half-fell into the empty seat. I couldn’t help laughing. “Usagi, it’s fine, it’s fine! I’m used to you being late, I brought a book and everything!” I leaned over to put my Kindle back in my purse.

“Ugh, but I’m so late. I went shopping with Mamoru this morning, and we bought so much stuff that I had to help him carry it back. I really intended to come directly from the department store, I swear!” Usagi bowed her head with a sigh.

“I told you, it’s okay! I’m just glad you made it before someone swiped your chair.”

A waitress approached, and Usagi ordered one of her favorites, a yogurt parfait with extra strawberries. I was already finished with my berry sorbet, so I ordered an Italian soda so Usagi wouldn’t be eating by herself. The moment the waitress stepped away, Usagi grabbed my left hand, and I squeaked in surprise.

“Ahhh, it’s true! This is your engagement ring! I’m soooo happy for you!” She petted the ring, a modest rose gold band set with a diamond that my other friends had called _ironically small, considering that your mom owns a jewelry shop._

I was getting ticked off just remembering those words.

“Oooh, it’s so sparkly, what a pretty diamond! And is this rose gold? It really suits you! I can tell that Umino put a lot of thought into picking this ring for you!”

“Usagi…” I blushed.

She was right. Umino had put a lot of thought into it, and he’d saved up almost all of the money from his paid internships and other part time jobs for almost a full year in order to afford a small, but quality, diamond. I’d told him that it didn’t have to be a diamond, that I wouldn’t mind a different, less expensive stone, but he’d insisted.

_Only the best for my dear Naru. So, I’m sorry if we can’t go out as often as before, but I really want to save up for this and get you a ring before we finish university, so please…_

As if he’d had to ask. Of course it was okay. I just couldn’t help feeling bad about all those times I’d asked to go out anyway, knowing he wouldn’t let me pay, even though my mom wouldn’t bat an eye if I used her credit card every once in a while.

“Naru, hello?” Usagi was waving her hand in front of my face. “You’re really distracted.”

_Usagi._ I smiled at her. My best friend, though we’d drifted apart since middle school, and especially now that she was married and I was off at university. We hardly had any chances to see each other, so I had to make the most of every moment we had together.

My dear, dear friend who had done so much, not just for me, but for all of us.

And after all that hardship, her heart was still big enough and generous enough to love an ordinary girl like me, to be happy for a friend who was in love with a guy who was so far from the so-called _ideal boyfriend_ that it was kind of ridiculous.

I caught Usagi’s hand with both of my own.

“Sorry, Usagi, you’re right. I’ve been really distracted lately. But… I feel much better now that you’re here with me.”

“Eh, really?” Her cheeks colored. “Ahaha, Naru, you’re making me blush!”

Amazing how one girl could save the entire world, or just one person at a time.

~end~

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a Secret Santa exchange on Tumblr. I haven't written SM fic in ages but I'm happy with how this turned out. Naru's always been one of my favorite SM characters so I was really glad to be paired with someone who likes her too. :)


End file.
